Letting you bring the arcade home, TMNT2 didn't look quite as good as what you got to play at the local aracade, but it had two distinct advantages: One, it didn't steal all of your quarters, and Two, it included two levels made just for the NES version. Paired with the fact that the manual came with a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut, and you got one of the most tubular game/pizza/comic/cartoon mash-ups ever.

Believe it or not, there weren't a ton of racing games on the NES by 1988, and Nintendo was providing the majority with games like Slalom and Rad Racer. Besides those, Nintendo contracted Rare to make R.C. Pro-Am, an isometric-view racer featuring stubby remote-control cars rather than real ones (though a preproduction version did presume that the cars were "real"). Though it wasn't too flashy, the graphics were good enough to stand out, and having cutesy R.C. cars subtly harkened back to the early days of microcomputer racing games. But like many European games of the decade, it got way too hard way too fast, to a point where anything less than first place disqualified you. Nevertheless, Pro-Am played well, and elements like periodic upgrades and "crazy" power-ups like missiles set a precedent that inspired later classics like Super Off-Road and Blizzard's Rock 'N' Roll Racing.

Gradius put Konami on the map, but "thanks" to technical limitations, American NES players never saw the game's sequel. That's OK, though, because what we did get was even better: Life Force. This brilliant shooter has a strange and convoluted history, but the NES version is definitely the definitive edition, featuring a Gradius-style upgrade system, alternating scrolling perspectives, and impressive two-player simultaneous action. (Never mind the slowdown, alright?) Bursting with vibrant visuals and accompanied by incredible music, Life Force is arguably the high-water mark for the genre on NES... and best of all, the classic Konami code works here just like it does in Contra, so there's no excuse not to see it through to the end.

Unlike other home versions of Capcom's Bionic Commando, which were simple ports of the arcade game, the NES game was more akin to a sequel. Its world was larger, its story more expansive... and most importantly of all, its mechanics were massively overhauled. What was a novel but not especially fun arcade game became a uniquely challenging test of platforming skill. Unlike other games of its genre, Bionic Commando didn't let its hero get about by jumping; instead, he had to use his bionic arm to climb and swing. It was tricky, but coming to terms with the grappling wire's fairly intuitive controls gave a player uncanny mastery of the game environment, capable of reaching the most out-of-the-way corners of the Badds' sprawling fortresses and encampments. Of course, there is that whole silliness about the Badds being bowdlerized Nazis... but even with the serial numbers filed off the plotline, Bionic Commando was nevertheless majestic fun.

Sunsoft's early work in Japan was questionable, to put it kindly, but by the late '80s, something changed, and they were making high-quality Nintendo games that propelled them to stardom. Blaster Master was one of them: An action game that worked like a mishmash of every NES game before it, but came together in a super fun and suitably challenging adventure. A somewhat open Metroid-like overworld invited you to explore every cranny with your jumping supertank, and top-down, on-foot sub-levels set up the terrifying boss fights you'd encounter within. By the end of the game, you had enough upgrades to feel like you could conquer the world, and never once thought of taking a break. Blaster Master was one of those games where, despite some imperfections, you could tell it had passion behind it, and unfortunately (or fortunately?), its sequels could barely live up to the legacy.

so true.

although, the controls/gameplay in smb 3 dominates smb. it's almost as if the game moves faster than the reaction speed of the controller. sometimes frustrating, but definitely a challenge to never make you give up!

My mom and I...

had SO much fun with Bubble Bobble! We'd try and see who would get to the shoe power up first and both hated that damned white beluga whale that chased you throughout the level if you took too long on the level (I think that's why it was there anyways). :D

Also, the devil from Kiwi Kraze that floated menacingly at you and ended up killing you (also if you took too long to complete the level) scared the hell out of me as a kid.

Unquestionable three stars ofNES

The true list are much long and controversial. YO! Noid For example, are perfect, and make with SMB3 and Megaman 2 the unquestionable three Stars of NES. For me, of course. But it's acceptable for many players.

3 more entries to the list

While I think the list is pretty sound, limiting it to twenty five titles does not show how amazing the NES was to kids like me growing up. Three titles I would add to the 25+ list are Tetris, Boy and his Blob and Mickey Mousecapades.

No Tetris?

Seriously, no Tetris? I guess you could say that's more a Game Boy thing, and Nintendo's NES Tetris wasn't as good as Tengen's version. But still, I find the lack of either version of Tetris a misstep. Oh, and what about Wizards & Warriors?

WaitaminuteNO!

Really?

Ok you can probably sell me on the original games being listed because they obviously started the sequels, but R.C. Pro Am #14? Really? Better than Metroid? Really?? Surprised 10 Yard Fight didn't make the list.

what a load of recycled garbage

this list is mediocre and predictable at best, and matches every other list that some other know-nothing column writer would come up with. FACT: it's not necessary to include all three Mario games. there ARE better titles. i can think of 25 games i'd rather play over SMB1 or SMB2. here are just ten:

Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Mega Man II is not perfection. THIS is. it's a port of a half-assed arcade game that was actually rebuilt from the ground up. DD2 on the NES is the best version of itself and the best of the franchise)

FACT?

Your definition of "Fact" sounds awfully like "Opinion." Think about it, when you wrote: "Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers (more fun than Duck Tales, IMO)" you just stated that was an opinion, therefore it's not a fact.

decent list.

Heh, Battletoads was sick. Maybe this little tale will sound familiar to people: I'd come home from school and play once every day. I could always finish the Intruder Excluder (#8, the long level heading straight upwards) but never consistently got through the friggin pipe maze that was after that, which meant it took ages to learn the bomb and unicycle races. The last level wasn't that bad in comparison. Probably got to the Dark Queen the fourth or fifth time I got to the tower, and she only took a couple of tries to learn. And then I never ever played the game again.

The Guadian Legend

Agreed...

Played the hell out of that game. A combination of the upward moving shooter levels of life force meets the exploration and backtracking of zelda and metroid meets RPG. Play this game if you haven't already.

Spectacular game.

When I saw that Life Force was dubbed the best NES shooter, I was disappointed. The Guardian Legend was absolutely rockin'.

That being said, the article doesn't try to be exhaustive, so it doesn't bother me too much. For more goodness, Jeremy Parish's blog has a gigantic NES retrospective going on, with material from GameSpite Quarterly 5. Awesome stuff.

Must not have played much...

...or grew up a Sega fan. Or maybe had a PC. Either way, there's plenty of great stuff on the NES that didn't show up in the list.

That being said, I understand somewhat. Not all of us are geared the same way. I personally can think of at least 50 games worth playing, and probably closer to 100. But I liked stuff from this era, so it's all subjective. :P

What a Joke

Obviously,this is the Editor's personal picks cause There are many other game that should have been on this list.Zelda 2 should have in the top 5 and Faxanudu should have been in the top 10 with Metal Gear.

Almost totally agree

Of course there are a hundred other games that could also appear within a single top 25 list, I can't disagree that any of these games should be left out. However,I don't understand having 2 mega man games. Do you like the first for its charm and originality that has spawned mass titles, or the sequel for what it adds to the first one and also contributed to games thereafter?

Personal Faves

Among many of those on the list, I gotta go with Castlevania III (multiple characters and paths!), Double Dragon II (co-op!), Kirby's DreamLand, and Super Dodgeball. I love the inclusion of DuckTales. Can't tell ya how many times I played through that one.

Sequels were better

I think Castlevania 3 and Dragon Warrior (Quest) IV would have been better choices, but I guess more people played the first games of the series. I do remember having two copies of Dragon Warrior I because of the Nintendo Power promotion

Perfect

i completely agree with this list. I have either played, owned, or borrowed every game on the list. I cant think of one game you left out. I just turned 30 and this list reminds me of a much simpler and fun time in my life. Thanks for the memories

Well

I guess you could only put one of Capcom's Disney games, especially since there were two Mega Man games, but I certainly would have added more. Chip N Dale, Darkwing Duck, loved those games. Ah the days of great license games, how the industry has fallen.

Bad list

I hate these lists that feel like they have to pay homage to the inferior original games. Castlevania 3 poops all over Castlevania 1. Dragon Quest 2, 3 and 4 are all lightyears better than 1. Megaman 3 is better than 1.Double dragon 2 is better than 1, and guess what? Unlike the first one where you complained the Co-Op was removed, It has Co-op! It was a great era where sequals to great games were usually better. Where's Ice Hockey? Battletoads? Metal Gear? Tetris? Dr Mario? Zelda 2? Kirby? Maniac Mansion? I have some personal favorites too, like Power Blade and Kicle Cubicle but I understand them not making the list.

perfect

Amazingly, the list looks just about perfect, aside from perhaps juggling a few of the rankings. Sure there are some potential other games that could have been in the 20-25 range, but overall I think it's well done.

Sorry 1up but...

Final Fantasy didn't introduce the multi-character party, that was Dragon Quest II (each one with a unique class). That and Dragon Quest III, which came out a couple months after Final Fantasy, had a superior class system that the FF series later mimicked...

I love the Final Fantasy series, but it needs to stop getting credit for things it didn't introduce (and be considered a great game because of them). It doesn't help when the ones who are supposed to have the facts are the source of the confusion.

Note: I am looking at initial release dates, which in this case would be Japan release. Credit should be given where credit is due.

Hilarious!

This made me laugh out loud dude, hahaha Even video games weren't spared from the time-honored practice of older siblings/relatives subjecting their younger, innocent siblings/relatives to slave labor disguised as something "fun".

MSX / NES / Metal Gear

Actually it was the MSX2 that the true Metal Gear, and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, was on. Now everybodu knows that Snake's Revenge on the NES was garbage, but the NES Metal Gear, standing on its own, which it did for many years in North America, wasn't a bad game. It wasn't a great game, but I've played a lot worse NES games than Metal Gear. It'd be in my top 100.

The Guardian Legend

Good list.

Fairly predictable, but good none the less. This list has been done to death so many times calling it predictable isn't really due to any fault of the writer's. Still, this did provide some interesting picks.

Nice list for sure

I have no clue how I would put these in order, I havent played all of the ones on the list, but im sure they're awesome. I think I have SMB3 as my #1 though, I absolutely played the shit outta that game, yet I never beat it, world 8 was just too much for me as a child, I havent beat it to this day, but then again I dont play it like I used to. I will finally conquer that game one day, its on the to-do list before I die, lol.

good list

but I liked a lot of the sequels more than the games listed. Castlevania 3 is better than the first, and TMNT 3 is better than 2, and Dragon Warrior 3 and 4 are both better than the first game. I was glad to see Crystalis on the list as well as Bubble Bobble. I would have loved to have seen one of the Adventures of Lolo games too and no Bomberman? but its all cool. And I def. think that The Legend of Zelda is the best NES game ever but I don't think any greatest NES list would ever not put SMB3 so I understand.

Word.

can't complain

i disagree with the order, but the choices are valid... though i think river city ransoms proximity to the top tier is greatly influenced by the recent release of scott pilgrim. i also think it should be a rule of thumb to have only one entry for any series in a list like this, to allow other gems their due, like the faxanadu and clash at demonhead types that fall into river city ransom and crystallis status imo (though crystallis is genuinely still a game i would buy as DLC)... especially with something like megaman where the differences from afar and this distanced by time are scant, and 2 is generally the unanimous favorite.

makes you wish all serialized greats had no blemishes so you could just go 'mario' without any thought.

castlevania III > castlevania... easily

if this were a 50, it'd be so much easier. some other favorites: guerilla war, star tropics, chip N dales rescue rangers to go with that duck tales (little nemo too), t&c surf and turf, 720 degrees, solstice, excite bike, kickle cubicle and lolo... heh, princess tomato in the salad kingdom. that was my first 'adventure' game with dialogue tree options and all that

This is a good list and I know you can't satisfy everyone, but...

Lolo is the original spherical badass. He could turn Kirby and Metaknight into eggs, push them into an invisible current, and ride them all the way to an open treasure box without breaking a sweat (Why they don't release a WiiWare/DSWare Lolo compilation with a level editor is beyond me). The pathetic excuse for puzzles in modern games is making the brains of our younger gamers weaker and flabbier than they already are, if that's even possible. Professor Layton...psssh, Layton isn't fit to push one of Lolo's Emerald Frames half a space.

Also, these games were pioneers in the suicide button department... why that didn't catch on I'll never know. It would be hilarious to have a button that made Snake pop himself in the head for no reason or Mario commit seppuku (or Master Chief fart inside his suit until he suffocated). But I'm getting off topic - my point is, Lolo deserves to be on this list. He's a nerd, he's not ashamed of his weight issues, his music gets stuck in your head for decades, and Lala demonstrates in the third game that princesses can be smart and dumpy while still being cool too. Frankly, I'm a little ashamed for the writers - all three games should not only be in the top five, they should be the top five. Lolo 3 could easily sweep the top three spots on its own.

Aside from that unforgivable omission, it's a fine list (I might have stuck Cobra Triangle in there instead of RC Pro AM, but I can see it going either way). Keep up the good work.

"The 25 Most Popular NES Games"

Why not just call this "The 25 Most Popular NES Games"? Seriously, there are SO many great games that were ignored...Battletoads, Micro Machines, Power Blade, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers, Zelda 2, Castlevania 3, Mega Man 3 (some consider it the best in the series), Dragon Warrior 4, GI Joe: The Atlantis Factor, Shatterhand, Vice: Project Doom. Not to mention some of the great sports games...

I can understand picking Dragon Warrior 1 over Dragon Warrior 4 or even Castlevania over Castlevania 3, but Mega Man 1 over Mega Man 3??? I love Pro Wrestling and Kung Fu as much as the next guy, but there are dozens of games that belong on the list before those two.

Castlevania 3, TMNT 3 and Chip n' Dale

I have no real problems with this fine list. I do wonder why games like Castlevania 3 and TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project didn't make the list over their predecessors, but I guess historical significance probably played a part in those decisions.

Will say this though--if Ducktales made the list, why not Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers? That was co-op platforming at its finest!

I Think Each Game Had Something to Offer

When it comes to presentation, Ninja Gaiden II is the pinnacle. When it comes to story, Ninja Gaiden is the best. When it comes to challenge, Ninja Gaiden III take the prize. The main problem with NG2, besides the dopey story, is the complete lack of challenge. Even if you intentionally don't get any powerups, the game is painfully easy compared to the other two. If you get a shadow or two, the game practically beats itself.

I like 'em all

Really, I liked all of the games on this list. Yes I said all of 'em as they cemented my fate as a gamer; I played them all and kept me going. Especially the RPGs.

I know there are other gems out there but these are the most prominent in gamers' minds for the most part. The gems that aren't listed are your own personal treasures...something that your found and you can keep to yourself. For me Crystalis is my personal treasure as it spawned an RP campaign that I GMed. Never got finished by the inspiration still exists even now.

I dig the list

I have played and beat most of the games on this list (except for the RPGs). I'm not sure if Zelda is considered and RPG or an adventure game but it was definitely one I enjoyed and even more on the SNES. Wished Double Dragon 2 (and maybe 3) could've made the list but it doesn't matter because it definitely made mine. Blaster Master was the shit as well. I was the only person I knew that beat it (despite some frustration). My honorable mention for this list would be "The Adventures of Bayou Billy". Man I loved that game and still wish for a current gen remake to this day.

Hah! Someone else who likes Bayou Billy!

Most people hate it, but it's a guilty pleasure for me too, and I have fond memories of jump kicking gators, memorizing the driving levels, and fighting those damn twins at the end. I managed to beat it once, but I don't think it belongs in the list. The driving and shooting sections weren't so hot.

Bayou Gah-Damn Billy!

Bayou Billy is definitely a guilty pleasure. Those driving sections are so unforgiving, but the beat-'em-up and shooting stages were a lot of fun for me. I always got ticked off by the fact that some of the boss meters didn't change until you had done a ton of damage. I figured I would never beat the final bosses until one of them finally dropped dead.....but the health meter was still full!

Kid Icarus?

re: kid icarus

Kid Icarus was awesome back in the day, but was eclipsed by latter-day NES offerings. However since this author's whole list is full of the older crappier titles, then yes you're right, he should have included Kid Icarus, maybe remove SMB3 since it's just a sequal.

Mario 3 was great times.

It wasn't just the game either. The overall culture was really getting the Mario buzz with Nintendo pressing its influence with The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Wizard, and those great Mario 3 Happy Meal toys at McDonalds. After school was the best!

MANIAC MANSION

Maniac Mansion is probably my favorite NES game and quite possibly my favorite game of all time. It's structure, ability to control it's characters in unusual ways, hilarious yet sometimes eery story, and multiple endings made Maniac Mansion a game that I still play two decades after its release.

Others...

I still love Battletoads, but then again, I'm the only person I've ever met who beat it. Most people never made it past level 3, so I can see how they might not love it as much I as did. It was hard but at least it was fair and the computer never cheated.

I can't argue with most of the games on this list

But I really loved The Guardian Legend, it was a hybrid vertical shooter / Zelda clone. You played as a female robot that turned into a spaceship. It was one of the first games I ever saw the end screen for on the NES and will allways hold a special place in my heart.

I heard

Mega Man 3 > Mega Man 2

Am I the only person in the world who enjoyed Mega Man 3 much more than Mega Man 2? The Third installment in the blue bomber's adventures had better level design, more creative bosses and better music. I'm tired of Mega Man 3 so consistently being disregarded in favor of its predecessor.

Other than that, The top five of this list were not surprising. Interesting article, though!

Top Man.

But then there would be too many Mega Men games

I think that you could make a case for Mega Man 3 being on this list, though it'd be hard to really think of a game that doesn't deserve to be here. I just think the decision came down to, the staff didn't want to have 3 games from the same series on this list.

I could see MM2 = MM3

But better than Mega Man 2? Come on, now. There's a reason people prefer the second one, it got everything right.

Seriously, though, while both are just about equal in terms of greatness, the differences between 1 and 2 are greater than between 2 and 3. Maybe that's why people remember the second installment more fondly.

It's a tough call

I did like Mega Man 3 more, but I have to give respect to Mega Man 2. I would personally have left out the first Mega Man, but it is the original game. It's a hard choice to make, but I understand why Mega Man 3 wasn't on the list.

I agree with the list...

Even though I didn't play a few of the games mentioned, it seems that pretty much every game on here is still talked about or referred to in the gaming industry. Personally, I would have added "Little Nemo the Dreammaster" in there somewher, but I've also noticed that a lot of people either don't seem to remember playing it or even hearing about it. Ah, well. :)

It's doomsday for the skull!

Tecmo Wrestling was fun, but I can't imagine anyone playing it for more than an hour. The game required some pretty harsh button mashing to get past any given match. It was a complete mash-fest, but it looked so awesome when you hit a character's special moves. The announcer was pretty great too.

Good list.

But where is Metal Gear, Ghouls and Goblins, and Cobra Triangle, Adventure Island and Paper Boy. I think some of these deserve to be on the List, But overall a very good list. Would be tough to pin it down to 25.